What is your favorite part of history to read/learn about?

superchuck500 said
When I was younger I was more into the Pacific - I think I loved the naval aviation story. But in much more recent time, I have really been into Europe and the Battle of Britain in particular. I think it's pretty incredible how it all unfolded: a force of roughly 800 interceptors fought off an attacking force of 3,000 due to a brilliant strategy with a new technology that wasn't fully appreciated by the enemy. Then the whole thing changes after a navigation error brings civilians into the horror of war but saves the defensive force - and the British Isles effectively defeat any prospect of a Nazi invasion.

I have been so into it at times that I would read some of the day-by-day diaries that are online. They were teetering on the knife's edge for a while there. Must have been terrifying to live in England at the time.

One of the reasons the Nazis could not invade Britain is that they never developed a landing craft. Nothing even like the Higgins boat much less a LST, so they were reliant on capturing intact an English port city. The English were well aware of this and had wired all dock facilities for demolition if invasion became imminent.

Following the Battle of Britain the Nazis never again held air superiority, so their tactic of invasion by paratroops as in Greece was out of the question.